


Sky and Blood

by PolarPhantom



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dying World, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, For some reason when writing fantasy I tend to use a tower I don't know why, I could probably pass this off as original fiction if I wanted, I keep thinking of new tags help, Or Is It?, Please read to find out., Sharing a bed?, The Force?, The tag function is my crack, We shall see tm, force bond?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-03 18:15:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14001780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PolarPhantom/pseuds/PolarPhantom
Summary: The world decays.





	Sky and Blood

Reyluna wandered past the dead plants and the rotting animals. Her retinue had all died, along with her family and parents. Whatever was spreading had taken them all. She was all that was left of the Kingdom of Sacred Sand. Her white dress was dirty and torn, but still shone elegantly against her slightly tanned and freckled skin. While beset by hunger and thirst, Reyluna continued her trek. She gripped the hilt of her sheathed blade, the pain of grabbing it so tight being a pleasant distraction.

She took a moment to catch her breath leaning against a dead tree, wiping her hair from her hazel eyes with the hint of emerald, when she saw it: A giant white tower, contrasting against the greying yellow sky. Reyluna broke into a stride, reaching it quicker than she thought. How had she not seen it before? She touched it. Cold and smooth. She didn’t seem to be dreaming. Probably should wake up if she was. But she also wanted to enjoy the fantasy while it lasted.

It was completely smooth. It did not seem to have been made of bricks. There looked to be something that looked like blood on the soil surrounding it, She searched for a door but could not find one. She thought for moment, then tried again. There. As she thought, it was not like other buildings. There were five small indentations on the tower she had missed. She looked at right hand and placed her fingers and thumb in them – and reflexively pulled them back as she felt a sting. Looking at her hand she saw the tips of her digits were coloured red. She put a glove over the hand to cover the marks.

Looking back, the indentations were gone, replaced not by a door but by a large hole in the wall. Reyluna bit her front teeth together, then walked in, keeping a grip on her sword.

She was greeted by an army of stairs leading upwards. She would have to ascend, it seemed. She sighed and rubbed her legs. She looked back out to the decay. She shook her head. She looked up the tower. She nodded.

And so Reyluna ascended.

It strangely didn’t take as long as she thought it would. There were windows which let her check her progress. She was high. Very high. And when she looked back she was at the top. A strange door was before her, black against the white of the tower’s walls. There was no handle. She gave a push and it opened upwards. She walked in and the door shut behind her. She started, pushed the door again and relaxed when seeing the door did indeed open from both sides. Releasing a captive sigh, she turned around and gasped, then gave a small moan.

The room was crimson. Cloths hung, draping from the ceiling, the bed was round and undulating. The floor and walls blossomed and the floor flowed. All a succulent red, save for a few windows and a fireplace in the centre. She looked up, seeing a large slit in the ceiling for smoke to escape. It resembled an eye struggling to stay open, or perhaps even a – she stopped the thought. The whole room was intoxicating her as she drank it in, all the cupboards, wardrobes, even the kitchen was absurdly red! There were no doors or walls, it was all some very large room and seeing it all at once was almost too much. It looked like something her mother described when telling romanticised tales of her time with her father in luxurious bedrooms. Tales which as Reyluna grew older realised that they were doing more than she had originally divulged. Reyluna cringed, despite knowing that if it weren’t for that… act they did to each other, she wouldn’t be there. It’s both the most irrational and most rational thing to not like the idea of parents – what was this room and what was it doing to her? Who would make such an absurd place? And why was it so out of place in this white towe–

A rustle, then metal cut the air. Reyluna moved quickly, back stepping, drawing her own blade. Steel met steel, Reyluna’s blade of sky met another, a blade of blood. The owner of the blade was tall, darkly clothed and with dark hair and eyes. Pale skinned with a faint scar over his right eye. His features were unusual but defined with a royal grace that somehow made him handsome.

And dangerous.

“You-“ Reyluna spat.

“Greetings princess.” The man almost snarled.

Benlo.

The prince of the Land of Pooling Blood. They had bordered the Land of Golden Sands since history was being written down, and for just as long have the Countries been at war.

“Why are you here murderer?”

“Oh, you first. You’re the one who intruded on me!”

“I won’t concede to you, snake!”

Their blades were still in contact, in tentative contact. Benlo looked at Reyluna. Something untied itself behind his eyes. He glanced around without moving his head, lips parted and slightly trembling, teeth touching each other delicately. Reyluna saw all of this, noticed all of this, and blinked, trying not to notice this.

“You’re alone, aren’t you?”

“I told you I’m not conceding.”

Benlo swallowed. “Alright then.”

He sheathed his sword.

“What… trick is this?”

“Trick? My people abhor the useless spilling of blood. It is sacrilege.” Benlo wondered over to a seat with a runy pillow already having an indentation.

“Oh, is that so? Does that explain all the people you’ve killed in the war?”

“If we didn’t fight back, we would have been killed.”

“Oh really? You could have just surrendered!”

“And why didn’t you?”

“I will not argue with –“

“What?”

“You’re alone here aren’t you?”

“…You catch on quick.” Benlo gave a small smirk.

“Don’t push it; I still have my sword out. Unlike some idiot.”

“You’d attack someone who meant you no harm?”

“Oh, you mean me harm, I can assure you!” Reyluna gripped her sword, bit her lip, then sheathed her own weapon. “What happened to them?” Benlo looked up at her. “You definitely weren’t travelling alone.”

“I imagine the same thing that happened to whomever you were with.” Benlo looked down at the floor. Then looked back at Reyluna with that slight smirk again. “So are you some idiot yourself now?”

“I don’t want to ruin this carpet with your viscera.” A brief silence erupted. “I’m sorry about your retinue.”

Reyluna looked about. She went over to the kitchen. But there was no food. “You ate everything, didn’t you? Well, at least you’ll starve as well.”

“There was no food when I arrived. But there was that.” He nodded at a faucet and basin opposite the bed, just below a window. Reyluna turned the faucet on and a golden fluid flowed. It was strange, it came slowly, yet was thin and not at all viscous.

“What is this?”

“It’s not poison. Here, I’ll show you.” He took a couple of glasses – glasses but no food? thought Reyluna – wiped them on his coat, came over and gave her a glass, scooped up some of the liquid in the glass and drank it. “There. I’d rather you not die in here on my watch.”

Reyluna scooped up the liquid, never looking away from Benlo. She sniffed her glass, drank the golden liquid. It was… refreshing. Revitalising. Terrifying. She could feel both her thirst and hunger were satisfied and aches she had long since stopped noticing were soothed.

“What… What?”

“I don’t know, but it’s kept me alive for a week.”

She drank some more, then stopped. She looked to the bed, staring at it for a while.

“Only one bed… I suppose you aren’t expecting to share, murderer.”

“Take it.”

“Oh. Feeling chivalrous?”

“I’ve been here for a week. It’s only fair. I’ll sleep on the chair tonight, then you do the same tomorrow night, then so on and so forth.”

“…I see.”

“Weren’t expecting that were you?” That smirk again.

“Don’t think I’ll let my guard down around you, even in bed!”

“I should think I should be the one to keep my guard up around you. I’m the one that sheathed my sword first.”

“You have other weapons.”

Reyluna clambered onto the bed and almost melted into its softness. Too long. The light was turning a dirty orange. She thought back to the unspoiled sunset as she stared out the window, before all this happened. She thought of how the sun seemed to be gently saying farewell, that it was sad to leave and so painted the sky red to show its crying face. Now the face is obscured by a decaying veil.

She looked at Benlo, brows furrowed. She stared. Gripping her weapon. He was just staring out the window at that despoiled sky. She watched him until sleep took her.

**Author's Note:**

> Not done yet, as you can probably tell. I am mostly influence by Angela Carter and Ico. You know, that real good vidya game?
> 
> Any comments and feedback is appreciated. I know not when I shall finish.
> 
> Because I am a lazy fool tm.


End file.
